The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-10-25
ROASTED REDS.
Cremation Among the Alaska In
dianS.
THE CURIOUS FUNERAL CEREMONIES

southeastern Alaska, the practice of cremation
is universal, except in the case of shamans or
medicine men, whose spirits after death in
habit higher world apart from the common
herd of slaves who are considered scarcely
worthy of this distinction.
AT this late day, among people who have
no written characters, and whose history has
been handed down by word of mouth, it is inn
possible to trace the origin of this custom
which has, through long ages, become a reli-
gious rite, and tradition offers tho explana-
ton that many years since one who had died
returned from the land of spirits, and, collect
ing his people, gave them his experience:
"When death releases the spirit it goes forth
to seek the happy hunting land, and slowly
gropeS its way along n narrow, rough trail,
over sharp rocks and through tangled forests
ION account OF which, the corpse, when pre-
pared for cremation, is well clad, the hands and
feet being protected by moccasins and mittens).
After weary journey it comes to the shore of
q broad, green river, across which, in the far
distance, are seen people who look scarcely
larger than mosquitoes To these the spirit
calls to send canoe, but, receiving no answer,
drops down upon the soft moss and is soon lost
i'll sleep. Awakening late and hearing voices
calling, it sees a canoe approaching from over
the waters which recrosses with it to
beautiful country filled with Indians
friends and brothers who have gone before
and who now come crowding around with q
welcome and good word. Those whose bodies
had been burned were found i'll the full enjoy
ment of their senses, sitting in groups around
blazing camp fires, feasting on salmon and
seal with full boxes of oil and grease, while
those poor spirits to whom this privilege had
been denied were lost in misery, shivering in
perpetual cold and want"
APPROACHING DEATH.
The Thlinket believes that shortly before
death the spirit of some loved friend gone be-
fore will appear to him, saying: "My dear
brother, or good friend, you can last but a few
suns longer and it is best So for life is but hard
so be ready, for | will come soon to lead your
spirit to land where all is happiness" With
this assurance the Indian meets death without
q murmur, and it Is not to be wondered at
when we remember that his whole life is but q
struggle with nature for existence.
With the last breath tidings go out to the
| clan, who assemble with blackened faces to
mourn the dead, and in former years the nearer
relatives cut off the hair. The corpse is now
| dressed in the most valued garments, the face
decorated in red and black and placed in q
sitting position with back to the wall, opposite
| the entrance. All the property of the de-
ceased is now brought and piled on either
| hand-the Thlinket counts his wealth in blank
| cts, kept stored away in camphor wood or cedar
| chests. Masks, rattles, robes, guns, hunting
| and fishing implements and dancing parapher-
| MALTA are placed directly around. The head is
surmounted bya grotesquely carved wooden
mask in totemic design, brilliant in its inlay
VI nOllOtlS 6i0ll ana topped by u Scnll-
transparent forest of sea lion whisl5ers, while
| over the body is thrown highly ornamen tai
| blanket, woven from the finer fleece of the
mountain goat and worked in black, white
yellow and blue from old pattern boards that
| have been handed down through generations
until the designs have become conventional.
| THE CHAMBER OF DEATH.
For three days the dead remains a silent
| spectator of household affairs, which have to
| go on much as usual, as q number Of families
| nnUnr roof. Visitors
| go, food is prepared at the common central fire,
| and children toddle about, tumbling over the
| sleeping dogs; but general air of quiet pre-
| walls until nightfall, when the tribe assemble
| with drum, rattle and dancing sticks, and to
| their measured accompaniment keep time in
| monotonous chant, eulogizing and lamenting
| the dead.
The scene is weird to degree, the many
colored blankets, the blackened faces, the walls
hung with arms and fishing implements, tho
| curiously carved and colored house posts, while
festoons of dried fish and meat depend from
the roof, and all seen through the ttful flashes
| of the great cracking fire of cedar logs, over
| which at intervals oil is dashed to redouble
| the effect
For three nights this scene is repeated, but
on the third day the wealth of the deceased is
distributed among the relatives, each ono re-
| ceiying q certain portion, as judged by popular
| consent
The funeral pyre is now erected directlyin
| rear of the house, OF on the outskirts of the
| village, in proximity to the shore. Logs of the
| fragrant yellow cedar are now brought and
| laid upon each other, forming q hollow
| parallelogram seven feet long by three feet
wide. AT height of from two to three feet
flooring of logs is laid, leaving air spaces be-
tween them, above which the walls are con-
tinued for another foot. Beneath the flooring
| and around the sides kindling and spruce
knots saturated with gum are placed.
All being in readiness, on this the fourth
day, the class assemble, plank is removed
from the side or end of the house.
and through this opening the dead is carried
on a mat made from the inner bark Of the red
cedar, for it is q strongly rooted superstition
among these people that should the body pass
through the doorway that later the death spirit
would return to claim more victims. As the
body is carried out an old woman takes some
Goals and burning fragments from the fire and
scattered them after ii to drive away the spirit
of death and cleanse the passageway, and af-
terward throws out dog to accompany its
| masters spirit to tho world beyond
The procession now makes its way slowly to-
ward the place selected for cremation, and
when reached the body is deposited on tho
raised flooring of the pyre and torch applied
to the resinous splinters, readily igniting the
whole mass. The Women--in full dancing
habiliments, consisting of a blue-black blank
ct, laced with red cloth, and ornamented with
hundreds of mother-of-pear buttons, fancy
colored caps or head dresses OF raven or eagle
feathers, immense earrings and nose
pendants, faces blackened, and carry
ing in the right hand a long pole,
the end decorated with sprigs
of evergreen and bright streamers-form in a
half-circle about the head OF the pile. The
men, with dancing sticks and rattles, are
grouped on one side. The nearer relatives sit
about promiscuously, moaning and waiting.
Tho older men lead the chant, or dirge, which
is joined in by all; and to its slow notes the
women keep time with the body, swaying from
side to side and bowling in unison, reminding
| one Of the famous sword dance Of tho
Bedouins.
Oftentimes the arms and personal belongings
| of the deceased are thrown on the fire, which,
by means Of long poles, is constantly stirred,
| and the chant continues until the body is re-
duced to ashes and the logs consumed. The
family collect any remains Of bones and the
supposed ashes which are carefully deposited
in small decorated boxes or trunks covered
with cedar mating, corded with spruce roots,
and finally placed in deadhouses or family
vaults directly in rear Of the houses
CLOSING THE CEREMONIES.
Every one now returns to the house, where
grand feast is spread, consisting Of dried sal
mon dipped in seal oil, herring spawn, pota-
toes, ROOTS berries, edible acaweed shell fish,
seal meat and tallow from the fat Of the wild
goat Of the mountains. Since the establish
ment Of many trading posts at convenient
IL. II. IT.. tf.r